Up to the present time either tripods or monopods have been utilized to support cameras. Tripods have the advantage of having great rigidity, whereas monopods offer increased manoeuvrability. Whilst these devices are very effective, they have the disadvantages of being large and cumbersome. Alternative types of support stands available are ones in which a very small monopod or tripod are used to brace the camera against the chest of the operator. Deleteriously, these units are somewhat bulky even when folded and do not allow momentary hands free operation.
Exemplary support stands are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,820 issued to W. D. Larock, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,753 issued to R. E. Dunn and Offenlegungschrift DE 3833613 A1, the inventor being F. J. Fuhse.
It can be seen, therefore, that there exists a need for a simpler, less bulky and lighter camera support stand.